Nidus
One of the two planets orbiting Via, Nidus is a largely mountainous planet consisting of 8 major cities and The Capital. The planet's unique mineral, solarium, drastically changed how Nidus has grown and developed throughout the eras. History *Prehistoric Era : Inhabitants of Nidus remained near the land belt (equator) where temperatures were mild, as those who ventured to Aquilon and Meridia perished when Cede left and the seasons came. *Era of Antiquity : Nidus' inhabitants began venturing into the dimidiums of Aquilon and Meridia. They excavated land to build dwellings underground and within mountains so they could withstand the extreme heat and cold caused by the seasons. These excavations led to the first discovery of solarium, although its uses and benefits were not known during the era of antiquity. They began cultivating and harvesting the natural vegetaion, eventually establishing elaborate, underground tunnels as trade routes, and the land belt (equator) became the central hub of commerce and civilization. *Modern Era : Nidus establishes The Council and enters into the Age of Solarium. Nidus is constantly in conflict with itself; generally between Aquilon and Meridia. Aquilon has consistent advantage over Meridia due to its surplus of solarium and advanced technologies. *Future Era : After The Last Soporatus, Nidus permanently placed Cede within its orbit and would become a stabilized planet, which would theoretically ensure prosperous growth and development on the planet. However, after five generations when the next soporatus was supposed to occur, Cede did not transfer. This caused slowly adverse effects on both planets. Nidus' orbit, with the increased gravitational mass, exponentially drifted closer and closer to Via at the center of the solar system. : As Nidus' orbit tightened around Via, the planet's ecosystems and climate became severely uninhabitable. The terrain dried with the rise in temperatues, and the only people to survive were those who lived in one of the domed cities, or the hovels and keeps who lived within the mountains. : Due to the shift in temperatures, Nidus faced stagnation in its technological advancements. The future became the remnants of the society from the modern era with few developments. The Council slowly lost its grasp on society, and every city began to fend for their own survival. Within each city, as the planet neared closer to Via, tribes, gangs, and other social groups formed and began to war amongst themselves. : The outlanders, who had slowly indoctrinated themselves into Nidus' society at the end of the modern era and throughout the future era, began developing new technologies on Nidus with the diverse animal and plant life used for genetic breeding and engineering. The most significant of these technologies came at the end of the future era with the discovering of the gilled giant. The outlanders developed a massive space-craft by the name of Spero that eventually allowed them escape from Nidus and into the vast reaches of space. Nidus natives split into two major groups: the outlanders (those who banded with the outlanders) and the inlanders (those who refused the outlander way of life). : Geography, climate, and environment Nidus is split into three zones: Aquilon in the north, Meridia in the south, and the land belt at the equator. Aquilon is further split into two main islands, The Orient in the east and The Occiden in the west. During the winter, the two islands become connected by an ice bridge that forms in between the cities of Edgegate and Blackwater. Aquilon is largely a mountainous region with extremely harsh winters and summers during diacede. During the winter, the fresh water in lakes and river systems either freezes over or completely rececedes into the soil. During summer, the ice caps melt from the mountains and flood the valleys and plains below, restoring the rivers and lakes to their previous form. The land belt contains the mildest climates, as the shift of Nidus on its axis is the least severe during and after the soporatus. The Capital rests at the land belt's center functioning as the central hub for politics, economics, and the elite. Meridia, like Aquilon, sees extremely harsh shifts in climate. The continent has less mountains, and is largely populated by open plains. To the east is an uninhabitable island that, until the modern era, remains an unused piece of land. Government and politics Nidus is governed by a parliamentary system known as The Council.